Summarize Email Thread - Link Exchange Partner Briefer

Purpose

Search Gmail for all threads related to a link exchange partner and return a structured briefing so the user can reply without re-reading full thread history.

Required MCP

• Gmail MCP (https://gmailmcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1)

Workflow

Step 1 - Identify the search query

Extract the search identifier from the user's message. It may be:

• A domain name (e.g. ahrefs.com, neilpatel.com)
• An email address (e.g. [email protected])
• A subject keyword (e.g. link exchange, collaboration)
• A person's name

If unclear, ask: "What's the partner's domain, email, or a keyword from the subject line?"

Step 2 - Search Gmail

Use Gmail MCP to search for threads. Use multiple search queries to maximise recall:

"{domain or keyword}" link exchange
"{email}"
subject:"link" "{domain}"

For each relevant thread found, call get_thread with messageFormat: FULL_CONTENT to retrieve the full message bodies. Always read plaintextBody - never rely on snippet alone, as snippets are truncated and will miss critical details like anchor text, target URLs, and placement instructions.

Focus on:

• The first message (to understand the original proposal)
• The most recent 3-4 messages (to understand current status and final agreed terms)
• Any message where URLs, anchors, or placement instructions are mentioned

Step 3 - Extract structured context

From the threads, extract:

For every agreed link placement (both ours and theirs), extract:

Multiple agreed pages: If both sides agreed on more than 2 link placements in total, list every single one - do not summarise or truncate.

Status definitions:

• completed - Both links are confirmed live
• exchange agreed - Both sides have agreed on anchor text and URLs but no links placed yet
• active - Exchange is in progress, both sides engaged
• pending_them - We placed our link, waiting for them to place theirs
• pending_us - They placed their link, we haven't placed ours yet
• stalled - No reply in 2+ weeks or conversation went cold
• unknown - Not enough information to determine

Step 4 - Output the briefing

Present the briefing in this format:

Partner: [Name] | [Domain] | [Email] Status: [Status] Last contact: [Date] | [N] thread(s) found

Summary [2-3 sentences: how the relationship started, what was agreed, where things stand now]

Link placements

If more than 2 total placements were agreed, add a row for each one.

Key notes

• [note 1]
• [note 2]

...

Next action [Concrete single action: e.g. "Follow up - no reply in 3 weeks", "Verify their link is still live", "Place our link on X page"]

Step 5 - Offer to draft a reply

After the briefing, ask:

"Want me to draft a reply to [partner name]?"

If yes, write a short, natural follow-up email based on the status and next action. Match the tone of the existing thread (formal/casual).

Edge Cases

• No threads found: Say so clearly and ask if they want to try a different search term.
• Many unrelated threads: Filter for threads that mention "link", "exchange", "collaboration", "guest post", or contain URLs from their domain.
• Partial information: Fill in what's available and mark missing fields as "-". Do not guess or invent URLs or anchor text.
• Multiple partners found: List them briefly and ask which one to brief on.